This invention relates to connectors and more particularly to a connector having six or more rows of contacts across the connector, the contacts extending out the bottom of the connector housing and bent to form only two rows of contacts that are secured to opposite surfaces of a printed circuit board.
Multi row connectors are generally on the face of a back panel or circuit board so to provide adequate room for all the contacts of the connector to connect to the circuit pattern on the circuit board. For example, connectors commonly referred to as DIN connectors are multi row connectors that have, for example, three rows of contacts, each contact extending out one side of the connector housing in three rows to mate with three rows of contact holes on the printed circuit board. In this example the contacts are spaced at intervals the same as the contacts in the connector housing.
If the connector is to be connected to the edge of the circuit board with the contacts contacting at least one surface of the circuit board, the contacts may be configured as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,957 wherein the four rows of contacts have tails of different length so that they may be bent to extend to different rows of contact areas on the circuit board. Such a configuration requires a large area on the circuit board to make the required connection for the connector.
Both the connector mounted on the face of the connector and the connector mounted at the edge of the circuit board described above require surface area of the circuit board that could be used for placement of components thereby requiring a larger surface area on the circuit board.